Language learning app Mondly determined the states that are the most likely to learn Spanish ahead of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) by comparing each state’s population with how many language-learning searches for Spanish were made over the past year in each state. Some examples of language learning search phrases included in the study are: “how to learn Spanish,” “learn Japanese,” and “French lessons.”
The study also found which languages Americans are most likely to learn by analyzing how many language-learning searches were made for 180 different languages over the past year in each state and across America.
10 states most likely to learn Spanish
Coloradans are the most likely to learn Spanish ahead of Dia de los Muertos, with an average of 463.6 searches per 100,000 residents to learn Spanish over the past year. Coloradans searched for Spanish 35.5% more than the average American, with the national average for Spanish at 342.1 yearly language-learning searches per 100,000 residents. Overall, there were 27,250 searches to learn Spanish in the past year from the Centennial State.
Texans are the second-most likely to learn Spanish ahead of Dia de los Muertos. On average, there were 419.8 searches to learn Spanish per 100,000 residents over the past year in the Lone Star State, 22.7% more than the national average. In total, 128,050 searches to learn Spanish were made in the past year from Texas.
Washingtonians are the third-most likely to learn Spanish before Dia de los Muertos, with 401.5 yearly searches per 100,000 residents to learn the language on average. A total of 31,370 searches to learn Spanish were made from Washington, and this rate of searches is 17.4% above the national average.
Georgians rank fourth in how likely they are to learn Spanish. Peach State residents averaged 391.8 searches per 100,000 residents to learn Spanish in the past year, 14.5% above the national average of 342.1 language-learning searches per 100,000 residents. Across the full year, there were 43,210 searches to learn Spanish from Georgia.
Floridians rank fifth in how likely they are to learn Spanish, with an average of 389.4 yearly searches to learn Spanish per 100,000 residents. When compared to the average American, Florida residents searched to learn Spanish 13.8% more often. Overall, 88,040 searches to learn Spanish were made from the Sunshine State over the past year.
Marylanders are the sixth-most likely to learn Spanish ahead of Dia de los Muertos, with an average of 388.8 language-learning searches per 100,000 residents for Spanish across the past year. A total of 24,030 language-learning searches for Spanish were made from Maryland on average in the last 12 months, and this rate of searches is 13.7% above the national average.
Utahns rank seventh among America’s most likely to learn Spanish ahead of Dia de los Muertos, with 386.2 yearly searches to learn Spanish per 100,000 residents on average. This rate is 12.9% above the national average, and overall, there were 13,200 searches to learn Spanish from the Beehive State.
Californians are the eighth-most likely to learn Spanish, with Golden State residents averaging 383.6 searches per year to learn Spanish per 100,000 residents. Californians search to learn Spanish 12.1% more than the average American, and in total, 149,470 searches were made to learn Spanish across the past year in California.
New Yorkers are the ninth-most likely to learn Spanish before Dia de los Muertos. In the past year, an average of 381.4 searches to learn Spanish were made per 100,000 residents in New York, 11.5% above the national average. Overall, 74,650 searches to learn Spanish were made from the Empire State.
Rounding out the top 10 most likely to learn Spanish are Arizonans. Residents of the Grand Canyon State made an average of 380.8 language-learning searches for Spanish per 100,000 residents over the past year, 11.3% above the national average of 342.1 searches to learn Spanish per 100,000 residents. In total, there were 28,300 searches to learn Spanish made from Arizona.
Spanish is the most exciting language for Americans to learn overall, with a total of 1.14 million searches to learn the language over the past year. It is also the most exciting language in 46 out of 50 states, with the only exceptions of Vermont, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska.
A language learning specialist at Mondly commented on the findings,
“A second language is an ideal way to open new horizons and opportunities. It lets you communicate with millions of people you might not have been able to before, gives you new perspectives on how people think, and it is a great way to keep your mind active.
“We wanted to see which languages are most exciting for Americans to learn, and it was unsurprising to find Spanish ranked top. Spanish speakers have a massive influence on popular culture, so it’s no surprise to see how exciting Spanish is for Americans to learn.
“One of the most celebrated examples of this influence is Dia de los Muertos, where people gather to remember the dead and participate in festivities.”
Sources:
Google Keyword Planner
ethnologue.com via britannica.com
U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey
Methodology:
The average monthly number of searches for search terms related to learning languages was obtained from Google Keyword Planner for the period July 2024 to June 2025.
To do this, a seed list of 180 languages was collected. Then, the name of each language was inserted into the following search phrases in place of [language]:
"how to learn [language]," "[language] language school," "schools [language]," "[language] schools abroad," "learn [language]," "learning [language] near me," "[language] dialects," "is it hard to learn [language]," "how long to learn [language]," "[language] lessons online," "[language] lessons," "learning [language] online," "learning [language] abroad," "[language] lessons near me," "[language] schools near me," "is [language] difficult," "[language] lessons price," "duolingo [language]," "babbel [language]," "language school [language]," and "where to learn [language]."
The total number of searches for each of these combinations was found in each state and America overall, and then all search terms related to learning each language were combined in each area.
These figures were multiplied by 12 to find the average yearly number of searches over the past year.
Finally, languages were ranked by the average yearly number of searches for all relevant combinations in each area.
States were compared against each other by the average yearly searches for learning Spanish per 100,000 residents, and were compared to the national average for further context.
The data on the estimated number of language speakers globally was obtained from ethnologue.com via Britannica.com.
The data on the estimated number of language speakers in each state and America overall was obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
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